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37
Baluch,
Probably northeastern Iran, Khorasan
Prayer Rug (sejjadeh),
19th century
The Baluch and other migratory peoples scattered
over northeastern Iran, western Afghanistan,
and southern Turkmenistan weave rugs that are
only beginning to be studied and localized. The
best of these rugs, however, have long been
admired for their deep colors and lustrous wool,
qualities embodied in the extreme in this prayer
rug.
Within its typical, square-headed prayer
niche, the design of this rug is unusual: in place
of the stick-like, broad-leafed
"tree of life" of many Baluch prayer rugs,
a wide, green "trunk," like the lower part
of a cypress, sprouts horizontal, serrated willow branches - the
sort that hang downward on many West
Persian rugs - and a variety of blossoms
and palmettos. The weaver has emphasized
the shape of the prayer niche by using
most other limited supply of white wool in
the border around it. This border, common to
many Baluch rugs, comprises a series of
gul-like motifs apparently borrowed
from Turkmen weaving (such as the Salor
torba, cat. no. 40).
In addition to its exceptionally glossy
wool, this prayer rug is distinguished by a generous amount
of deep green, a color rarely used in
Baluch weaving.
J.B..
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| SIZE:
32 x 42 1/2 in. (81 x 108 cm.) |
| WARP: wool,
Z2S; ivory |
| WEFT: wool,
Z x 2; brown |
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PILE: wool, Z2S, asymmetrical knots open left,
h. 9, v. 12, 108 k/sq. in.; ivory, dark brown, purple-brown,
dark red, orange-red, green, dark blue, blue |
| ENDS: ivory wool
weft-faced plain weave with complementary wefts of ivory,
brown, and red; top: 6 rows of
countered sumakin purple-brown, red, green, and
blue |
| SIDES: brown wool
selvedge of 2 cords of 4 warps |
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THROUGH THE COLLECTOR'S EYE |
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Oriental Rugs from New England Private Collections |
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